Jar carrier



L. R. DAVIS June 21, 1966 JAR CARRIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 20,1964 FIQI.

INVENTORZ LEO R. DAV 1 5 ATTYS.

L. R. DAVIS JAR CARRIER June 21, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 20,1964 l I l l lllllIIl l /m n 6 a 4 f QA 3 0 w 5 u M MHHHHHHH -mmwuq 4 a.a. 4 a a z w W Z T #Fm m i g mm A m T i1? M 0 LEO R. DAVIS W ATT Y5.

United States Patent "ice 3,257,064 JAR CARRIER Leo R. Davis, Exton,Pa., assignor to Downingtown Paper Company, Downing'town, Pa., acorporation of Pennsylvania Filed Aug. 20, 1964, Ser. No. 390,804 3Claims. (Cl. 229-28) The present invention relates generally to a grouppackaging arrangement for jars and more particularly to a paperboardcarrier for jars of the wide-mouthed type used for baby foods andsimilar products.

Retail sales of baby foods packed in small jars, which are normallypriced and purchased in groups such as a half dozen, are generally madefrom open shelves stocked with large quantities of individual jars. Aconsiderable amount of time is required to set up the individual jars onthe shelves. More time is consumed in the selection, removal andchecking of quantities of single jars. In addition, there is a danger ofstacked jars upsetting or dropping from the shelves. A further drawbackis the inconvenience and difficulty of selecting desired groups ofproducts from the shelves especially in View of the disorderly conditiontypical of self service shelves.

In order to overcome the above disadvantages of prevailing salespractices, it is a first'object of the present invention to provide acarrier for the group packaging of jars adapted to afford moreconvenient handling and shelf display of products which are normallypurchased in quantity.

A further object of the invention is to provide a carrier as describedof an economical design which may be erected from a flat, light weightpaperboard blank.

Another object of the invention is to provide a carrier as describedwhich protects the individual jars from breakage by providing apaperboard-layer between adjoining ars.

A still further object is to provide a carrier as described which may bereadily erected and applied to a group ofjars by automatic equipment.

Still another object is to provide a carrier as described from which thejars may be removed with ease but replaced with difiiculty todis-courage shoppers from changing the contents of the group packages.

Another object of the invention is to provide a carrier as describedwhich permits a substantially full view of the jar labels to facilitateconsumer selection of the products.

Additional objects and advantages. of the invention will be more readilyapparent from the following detailed description of an embodimentthereof when taken together with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a flat paperboard blank adapted for erection toform a carrier in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective View of one end of the carrier formedfrom the blank of FIG. 1 showing the manner of erection thereof;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the erected carrier showing in broken lines theposition of a group of jars packaged therein;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the carrier as shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the carrier as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 66 of FIG. 3 showing thecarrier with the jars removed.

Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 3-6 show an erected jar carrier 10which embodies a preferred form of the invention and which is adaptedfor the packaging of jars 11 of the type commonly employed for baby foodand like products. The carrier 10 is a shallow apertured r 3,257,064Patented June 21, 1966 paperback arrangement which is adapted forapplication over the necks 12 of the jars to securely grip the jar neckswhile permitting the labeled body portions 13 of the jars to be visible.

The carrier is characterized by opposed coplanar deck panels 14 and 15,each having a plurality of apertures 16 therein adapted to receive thejar necks. The deck panels 14 and 15 are joined along respective centralconnecting flaps 18 and 20, which joined flaps serve to separate thejars of one deck panel from those of the opposed panel. The deck panelsare connected with the carrier side panels 22 and 24 which in turn arejoined to a bottom panel 26. Spacer elements 28 and 30 depend downwardlyfrom the bottom panel to prevent contact of adjacent jars secured by thedeck panels. The ends 32 and 34 of the carrier are of a conventionalcarton end construction to provide rigidity and an attractive carrierappearance.

The blank from which the carrier is formed is shown in FIG. 1 andincludes the central bottom panel 26 of a generally rectangular shapewhich is defined by the longitudinal parallel fold lines 36 and 37 andthe transverse perpendicularly disposed parallel fold lines 38 and 40.The bottom panel 26 includes apertures 42, 44 and 46 which are so shapedas to provide substantially rectangular spacer elements 28 and 30extending transversely across the bottom panel. The spacer elements 28and 30 are foldable with respect to the bottom panel 26 along the foldlines 48 at their juncture with the bottom panel. End flaps 26a and 26bextend from the ends of the bottom panel 26.

Foldably extending from the side edge fold lines 36 and 37 of the bottompanel are the side panels 22 and 24 equal in length to the bottom paneland of a narrow width defined by the fold lines 50 and 52. Foldablyextending from the side panels 22 and 24 are the side panel end tabs22a, 22b, 24a and 24b.

Adjoining the side panels 22 and 24 along the fold lines 50 and 52 arethe apertured deck panels 14 and 15. The deck panels are longitudinallycoextensive with the side panels and bottom panel, terminating in thisrespect in end flaps 14a, 14b, 15a and 15b, which foldably dependtherefrom along lanced extensions of the fold lines 38 and 40. The deckpanels extend transversely to fold lines 54 and 56 from which depend thecentral connect ing flaps 18 and 20.

The apertures 16 in the deck panels 14 and 15 each extend transverselyacross the width of the deck panels and are in spaced longitudinalrelation, aligned transversely with the apertures in the bottom panel.The illus- 'trated blank is designed to hold six jars and there areaccordingly three apertures 16 in each of the deck panels and in thebottom panel although it is obvious that the capacity of the carriercould be increased or decreased within the scope of the invention. Eachof the apertures 16 is characterized by a plurality of protrudingshoulders 58, each shoulder being rendered depressi-ble with respect tothe deck panel by means of a slit 60' extending part Way into the deckpanel.

The rnanner in which the blank is erected is shown most clearly in FIG.2. The side panels 22 and 24 are folded into a perpendicular relationwith the bottom panel 26 with the deck panels being folded into aparallel superposed relation with the bottom panel. The centralconnecting flaps 18 and 20 are folded downwardly toward the bottompanels and are joined in sealed relation by means of an adhesive on thecontacting surfaces thereof, which adhesive may be, for example, of thewell known heat sealing or pressure sensitive types. The carrier ends 32and 34 are closed to form a conventional box closure by first foldinginwardly the side panel tabs, folding upwardly the bottom panel flaps,and then folding downgripping and securing of the jars in the carrier.

wardly the adhesive coated deck panel flaps to seal the carrier ends.The spacer elements 28 and 30 are folded downwardly so as to beperpendicular to the bottom panel 26 from which they depend.

The erection of the blank may be effected either prior to the packagingof the jars or during the packaging process. Should the carrier beerected prior to the packaging of the jars, the erected carrier wouldthen be placed over an appropriately aligned group of six jars andpushed downwardly over the jar necks so that the shoulders 58, which areupwardly flexed during passage of the jar necks through the apertures16, reassume their planar disposition about the necks of the jarsthereby providing a In addition to the containment of the jars providedby the shouldered apertures 16, the spacer elements 28 and 30 and thecentral connecting flaps 18 and 20 serve to maintain an upright paralleldisposition of the jars and provide a spacing of the jars toprevent'contact and possible breakage thereof during transit andstorage. The carrier may alternately be erected at the same time thatthe jars are packaged therein by joining the deck panels together whenthe jars are introduced into the apertures 16. The end closures of thecarrier may then be sealed in a conventional manner with the jarsalready in place. This latter packaging method is particularly adaptedto a fully automated system wherein the carrier blanks are partiallyerected while traveling parallel to and above a jar delivery line. Whenthe carrier and products meet, the carrier is slid over a group of jarsand the deck panels folded into position as discussed above. Theadaptability of the carrier to such an automated arrangement is highlydesirable since the packaging costs must be minimized in order to makesuch a carrier feasible for low cost jarred products.

Since the jars of the type for which the carrier is designed arerelatively small, the carrier may be readily gripped along its sidepanels and carried with one hand. The jars are held in position by theshouldered apertures and will not become dislodged even upon inversionof the carrier although the jars are readily removable therefrom.

As shown in particular in FIG. 4, the shallow depth of the carrierpermits a full view of the labeled body portions of the jars and thuspermits a consumer to ascertain the exact contents of each of the jarsof the package. This is a particularly desirable feature should mixedgroups of products be packaged in a single carrier.

Manifestly, changes in details of construction can be effected by thoseskilled in the art without departing from the spirit and the scope ofthe invention as defined in and limited solely by the appended claims.

- I claim:

1. A paperboard jar carrier comprising a rectangular bottom panel, sidepanels upwardly depending from said bottom panel, deck panels inwardlydepending from said side panels, said deckl panels being joined alongthe respective inner edges thereof in coplanar relation parallel to saidbottom panel by means of connecting flaps extending downwardly from thedeck panel inner edges, end flap means extending from the ends of saidbottom panel and deck panels forming opposed carton ends, transverseapertures in said bottom panel extending substantially the width of saidbottom panel, transverse spacer elements depending perpendicularlybeneath said bottom panel between said apertures, apertures in said deckpanels adapted to receive and secure the necks of jars inserted therein,said deck panel apertures each having a plurality of depressibleshoulders spaced about the periphery thereof for locking engagement witha jar neck, said deck panel apertures being aligned with the aperturesof said bottom panel, said deck panel apertures comprising a pluralityof longitudinally spaced apertures in each deck panel, each apertureextending substantially the width of the deck panel, said bottom panelapertures being adapted to receive the body portions of jars inserted insaid deck panel apertures.

2. A vflat paperboard blank for folding into a jar carrier comprising acentral rectangular bottom panel, transverse apertures in said bottompanel shaped to define spacer elements extending transversely acrosssaid bottom panel and adapted to fold into a perpendicular relation withsaid bottom panel, end flaps foldably extending from the ends of saidbottom panel, side panels foldably connected to the opposite sides ofsaid bottom panel, end

tabs foldably extending from the ends of said side panels,

deck panels foldably extending outwardly from said side panels,apertures in said deck panels adapted to receive and secure the necks ofjars inserted therein, the apertures of said deck panels being alignedwith the apertures of said bottom panel, the apertures of said deckpanels each having a plurality of depressible shoulders spaced about theperiphery thereof for locking engagement with a jar neck, the aperturesof said bottom panel being adapted to receive the jar body portions, endflaps foldably extending from the ends of said deck panels, andconnecting flaps extending outwardly from said deck panels, the combinedwidths of said deck panels being equal to the width of said bottom panelwhereby upon erection of the blank said deck panels may be joined bymeans of said connecting flaps in a coplanar relation superposed overand spaced from said bottom panel by said side panels, and said end tabsand end flaps may bejoined to form a box closure at the carrier ends.

3. A flat paperboard blank as claimed in claim 2 wherein said deck panelapertures comprise a plurality of longitudinally spaced apertures ineach deck panel, each aperture extending substantially the width of thedeck panel.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,545,803 3/ 1951 Bergstein 22928 2,823,063 2/ 1958 Toensmeier.

2,823,064- 2/1958 Toensmeier 294-87.2 2,895,662 7/ 1959 Vines 229-282,950,854 8/ 1960 Ganz 229--28X 3,038,600 6/ 1962 Powell 229-40 X3,123,213 3/1964 Kulie 206 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner. FRANKLINT. GARRETT, Examiner. D. T. MOORHEAD, Assistant Examiner.

1. A PAPERBOARD JAR CARRIER COMPRISING A RECTANGULAR BOTTOM PANEL, SIDE PANELS UPWARDLY DEPENDING FROM SAID BOTTOM PANEL, DECK PANELS INWARDLY DEPENDING FROM SAID SIDE PANELS, SAID DECK PANELS BEING JOINED ALONG THE RESPECTIVE INNER EDGES THEREOF IN COPLANAR RELATION PARALLEL TO SAID BOTTOM PANEL BY MEANS OF CONNECTING FLAPS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE DECK PANEL INNER EDGES, END FLAP MEANS EXTENDING FROM THE ENDS OF SAID BOTTOM PANEL AND DECK PANELS FORMING OPPOSED CARTON ENDS, TRANSVERSE APERTURES IN SAID BOTTOM PANEL EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THE WIDTH OF SAID BOTTOM PANEL, TRANSVERSE SPACER ELEMENTS DEPENDING PERPENDICULARLY BENEATH SAID BOTTOM PANEL BETWEEN SAID APERTURES, APERTURES IN SAID DECK PANELS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AND SECURE THE NECKS OF JARS INSERTED THEREIN, SAID DECK PANEL APERTURES EACH HAVING A PLURALITY OF DEPRESSIBLE SHOULDERS SPACED ABOUT THE PERIPHERY THEREOF FOR LOCKING ENGAGEMENT WITH A JAR NECK, SAID DECK PANEL APERTURES BEING ALIGNED WITH THE APERTURES OF SAID BOTTOM PANEL, SAID DECK PANEL APERTURES COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED APERTURES IN EACH DECK PANEL, EACH APERTURE EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THE WIDTH OF THE DECK PANEL, SAID BOTTOM PANEL APERTURES BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE BODY PORTIONS OF JARS INSERTED IN SAID DECK PANEL APERTURES. 